Kimberly Reed Photography

adventures on the river

July 10, 2008

I've been wanting to learn how to kayak for quite some time now, and it's one of those things I haven't gotten around to yet. When my friend Barb recently mentioned that she and her husband Steve go kayaking pretty regularly, I casually invited myself along.

Last night, the three of us rented kayaks at Mon Yough Outfitters in Millvale. Barb and Steve were kind enough to give me a quick kayaking 101 lesson (which was along the lines of- sit down, and paddle). Now, I don't mean to brag or anything, but it's like I was born to kayak. It just came so naturally to me, almost like I was a kayak prodigy really, that I was a little embarrassed when I quickly left Barb and Steve in my wake.

Ok, that's a lie. Really, the first 45 minutes or so I spent trying to keep from paddling in circles. After that though, I slowly started to get the hang of it, and really enjoyed myself out on the water. It was a beautiful evening, and soo peaceful and relaxing just slowly (and I do mean slowly) paddling along the river. If you've never been, I enthusiastically recommend it. You can rent kayaks by the hour in Pittsburgh (by PNC Park) and in North Park through Kayak Pittsburgh, and Mon Yough (where we went) also does hourly rentals.

I brought along my little point and shoot camera, and snapped a few photos while we were out. I wasn't certain that I wouldn't end up completely submerged at some point during our excursion, so I had the camera safely tucked away in a ziploc bag. The first photo (of Steve), is kind of hazy because I left the camera in the bag while I took the photo. :) The next two, you'll notice, are much clearer, as it was the end of our trip and my confidence was built up to the point that I was pretty certain the mere act of pressing the shutter button on my camera wouldn't cause me to topple overboard. (The first half of the trip, I wasn't so sure.)

Nicole and Mike

July 3, 2008

I met up with Nicole and Mike last weekend to shoot their engagement session. These two have been together since high school (8 years!), and while they now live out of state, Pittsburgh is where they grew up and call home. We met up at Schenley Park, and even though it was a hot and sticky evening, these two were great sports. We caught some delicious light towards the end, which is always a treat. Here are a few of my faves from their session:

Thanks guys! I'm looking forward to photographing your wedding next month!

Mary and David- wedding

June 23, 2008

Mary and David tied the knot this Saturday at their private family estate in New Hope, PA (outside of Philadelphia). Mary and David are both in advertising, so I suspected there would be lots of fabulous details at their wedding. I wasn't disappointed - creative minds like that pay meticulous attention to detail. Here are some of the things that caught my eye:

Mary's Vera Wang gown. The dress in the background on the right is one of the bridesmaids dresses, which Mary's sister designed and made. (!)

I am smitten with the look of a cage veil. Mary looked simply stunning in hers (which her sister also made).

It was an emotional day. Lyndsay was my rockstar second shooter for the day- she took the photo on the right.

The ceremony was simple, personal, witty, and intimate. Mary and Dave's officiant was a close friend of theirs, who got ordained online for the occasion. Since they weren't sure of the legalities of that in PA, the mayor of New Hope was on standby to make sure everything was official.

I loved the way Mary's gown flowed behind her as she walked.

Remember those fabulous details I was telling you about? Check these out (one of their signature drinks during cocktail hour was a watermelon basil margarita- perfect for an outdoor summer wedding):

The paper goods for the wedding were designed and made by Mary and her business partner Jen. Everything was so well thought out and executed. I've said it before- for a really beautiful and personal event, it's all in the details. If you are looking for creative and custom designed stationary, save the dates, invitations, placecards, etc. check out Ice Cream Social, their Etsy shop.

Jamie Hollander Gourmet Foods out of New Hope catered the event- the menu was Mexican food, which included a taco station and mini ice cream cones with margarita and chili chocolate gelato.

A few portraits

These two images were by Lyndsay:

First dance

There were a total of 5 toasts to the new couple. Dave's best man gave a hilarious speech entitled "How Mary saved my kidneys", during which this sequence of photos was taken:

Mary dancing with her father.

The Urban Guerilla Orchestra kept people on the dance floor all night. They were phenomenal!!

Mary and Dave, thank you for a memorable day. I hope you're enjoying Cabo!

Cheers,
~k

{June 24, 2008 9:02 AM} Lyndsay said: thank you for having me as your second shooter! I had a blast!

{June 24, 2008 10:00 AM} Jaci Clark said: WOW, the wedding looks amazing! Love all the details. Glad you had fun in Philly. Wish I could have been there with you. (I miss you.) Cheers, Jaci

{June 26, 2008 5:14 AM} didi said: beautiful, personal, summer wedding!

{June 26, 2008 6:58 PM} Mary Boyko Skinner said: We LOVE them! Can't wait to see more! Mary & Dave

{July 2, 2008 10:31 PM} emily said: the veil is to die for!!! love it! Your shots are just so well placed... balanced... creative.... emotion filled -- I can't find the right adjective.... I just love them! Beautiful job!

{July 3, 2008 1:39 AM} Aaron said: Sweet!! Great emotion, details and some cool style to the portraits - You are seriously workin it!

{July 8, 2008 6:50 PM} Lyndsay Undseth said: I COULD LOOK AT YOUR IMAGES FOREVER KIM, LOVE THEM ALL!

{January 3, 2009 5:08 PM} Anne said: What a pretty wedding! The gown and birdcage veil are just so stunning! Looks like you captured a fun event.

happy babies

June 23, 2008

I had a wedding in the area, so I spent last weekend just outside of Philadelphia with my friend Lyndsay and her family. Lyndsay and I met in college and have been fast friends ever since. Although we now live on separate sides of the state, she is the kind of friend that- whether it's been a few days or a few months since we last spoke - we pick right up where we left off. The last time I saw Lyndsay was last summer, when she was about 7 months pregnant with her first baby. I was so excited to finally meet her daughter this weekend, (who is now 7 1/2 months old)!

Not only is she totally adorable, she is also the happiest baby I have ever seen. The entire 5 days I was there, I think I heard her cry once.

Seriously, how cute is she?

Happy Birthday Michelle

June 23, 2008

It's been a little over 3 months since my sister passed away. Today is her birthday (she would be 33 today), and my family wanted to get together and do something special. My mom had the idea of planting a tree for her, and that morphed into planting a garden. So I left Philadelphia yesterday morning and drove straight to my brother-in-laws house to meet my family. Here are a few photos I snapped throughout the evening (pictured are Michelle's son Dominic, 5, and daughter Ashley, 8, Michelle's husband, my mom and dad, my sister Melanie and her husband, and my husband). There will eventually be a stone pathway and a pond:

Happy Birthday Michelle. I miss you.

{June 23, 2008 9:37 PM} Susan Solo said: What a wonderful way to celebrate and remember Michelle. The garden is beautiful and it looks like a lot of love went into it.

{June 23, 2008 11:17 PM} kitty maer said: Yeay! What a beautiful way to remember her year after year as the garden grows and blooms!

{June 23, 2008 11:58 PM} Mary Boyko Skinner said: Hi Kim, So we're in Mexico! We are sitting on our terrace reminiscing about the wedding and I thought I would check out your blog and see if there was any chance of a pic or 2 being posted. What I found instead is this beautiful memorial remembering the life of your sister. When you said a few weeks ago there was a death in the family, I would never imagine it to be a sibling. You witnessed how I was with my family, so I can only imagine what you are going through. I'm so sorry for you're loss. Thank you for everything. You were so amazing and now knowing under what circumstances, I'm just blown away... Thank you Kim. And Happy Birthday Michelle. Mary & Dave

{June 24, 2008 9:54 AM} Jaci Clark said: What a beautiful tribute to your sister and what a great way for your family to remember her. Happy birthday Michelle! Jaci

{June 24, 2008 2:48 PM} Leah said: Kim, This is such a beautiful way to celebrate your sister's life. I have tears in my eyes!

{June 24, 2008 8:22 PM} Sheri Porterfield said: Kim, Beautiful images from a beautiful day. Could not think of a better way to remember your sister on her birthday. Hope you enjoyed a special day with your family...

what i've been up to

June 20, 2008

So when I get super busy, as I have been lately, I often neglect my poor little blog (although I'll often think- ohhh, I have to blog that!). Here's what I've been up to over the past 6 weeks or so.

- I celebrated my 29th birthday. Happy Birthday to me!

- I went with my mom to get her 5 year post-cancer mammogram. Everything was clear, so she has officially been breast cancer free for 5 years. Yay mom!

- Ray and I did the Race for the Cure. We didn't finish in the time that we hoped, but we weren't too far off. Thanks again everyone who supported us. This also made me remember that I really, really, don't enjoy running.

- During a moment of insanity, I signed up for a fitness bootcamp that met Monday through Friday at 5:30 in the morning for 4 weeks. That means I had to get up at 4:30 am to make it there on time. I wish I could say that I sprang out of bed every morning all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed (as my mom would say), signing a tune about rainbows and butterflies. The truth is, at that time of day, I spend the first 15 minutes I'm awake just cursing. I'm sooooo not a morning person. Should you ever hear me mention doing something like that again, which necessitates me waking up that early, that many days in a row, you have my permission to punch me in the face.

- While driving to the first day of bootcamp I bottomed out on a speedbump on the way there, which put a hole in the oil pan of car. Unbeknownst to me, all of my oil drained out while I ran laps and did push ups in the rain for an hour, so my car was in bad shape by the time I got it to a garage. I was *this close* to needing a new engine. Ouch.

- Ray got me a point and shoot camera for my birthday! I haven't had a little camera like this in years, so I'm super excited about it! I'm not kidding when I say I still need to figure out how to use it.

- In the past 5 weeks, I've had weddings in Pittsburgh, New York, Chicago, and I'm currently in Philadelphia for a wedding this weekend. Have I mentioned I love to travel?

- I had a group of local photographers at my studio and gave a little talk about myself and my studio, my approach to photography, and did a short little presentation on how I use studio lights during Femme Couture sessions. Good times.

- I'm in Philadelphia for a wedding, and staying with my best friend from college. I used to live out here and always love to come back. She is a graphic designer, her family owns a vineyard and winery, and she and her husband recently opened a wine and cheese store in Doylestown. I love these guys.

That's all for now! The office is closed until Monday, June 30. I'll be returning phone calls after that. I'll have limited email access, so the best way to reach me will be via email, although my response time will be delayed.

Jessica and Jimmy

June 20, 2008

Jessica and Jimmy tied the knot last weekend at St. Paul's Cathedral in Oakland, with the reception following at the Hilton Garden Inn. Jessica, in addition to being beautiful, also has the most warm, optimistic, and sunny personality. I don't think she stopped smiling all day long. The weather has been crazy lately, and last weekend was no exception. It alternated between typhoon-type rain and dry skies but high humidity throughout the day. No matter what happened throughout the day though, Jessica remained the picture of poise and grace. It's raining cats and dogs- no problem, let's grab an umbrella. Construction almost makes us late for the ceremony- no worries, we made it with 5 minutes to spare. And so it went, throughout the day, any minor problems that arose, Jessica approached with a smile. She wouldn't let anything spoil the joy of her wedding day.

Here are some of the things that caught my eye throughout the day:

These were on the counter when we arrived at Jessica's home.

All of seven of Jessica's bridesmaids were there getting ready together. That many girls together would normally mean chaos-but everyone was super relaxed; just hanging out and laughing. It was a great start to the day.

the ring exchange

It had rained all day up until and through the ceremony. Right after the ceremony ended, there was about a 20 minute break in the rain, so we made a mad dash for photos at those huge columns across the street from the cathedral.

Quite possibly my favorite image of the day. (Photographers- these images were processed using Totally Rad Actions - the revenge. They are delicious. Go get them right now.)

...and then it started to rain again

to smash or not to smash? (he didn't smash)

Great lighting really makes a difference in the atmosphere of your reception. Their wedding colors were pink and silver, and they brought in a lighting team to add pink lighting around the perimeter of the room. It pulled everything together and really added to the 'wow' factor when you entered the room.

Jessica and Jimmy planned for a very cool flambe presentation during the reception, which preceded a dessert of bananas foster. Yum! (These two images were shot by Dana Scheller, who was my second shooter for this wedding.)

The dance floor was packed all night long. Gotta love that.

Jessica and Jimmy- Thank you for being such a joy. Best wishes as you begin your new life together!

xo,
~k

serena and bob wedding- by abie

June 12, 2008

Serena and Bob got married last Saturday at Immaculate Conception Church in Washington, PA with the reception following at the Hilton Garden Inn in Canonsburg. Abie photographed their wedding with Beth as her second shooter. All in all, it was a beautiful day.

Here are a few of my faves:

Serena had the most beautiful gown. Very unique and it looked stunning on her.

Cat and Craig- wedding

June 11, 2008

Cat and Craig tied the knot this weekend here in Pittsburgh. It ended up being a wicked hot day, but they both stayed cool, calm and collected. Cat is super sweet and totally thoughtful; she kept asking us throughout the day if we were ok or needed anything. Jaci was with me again this week as my able-bodied second shooter. Cat and Craig have warned me from day 1 that there would be much drinking and debauchery at their wedding, and let's just say they didn't disappoint on either end. ;)

Here are a few of my faves from their day:

Cat and Craig exchanged gifts before the ceremony. Here she's reading a note from Craig.

Cat was a beautiful bride

after the ceremony, a stop at Mt. Washington for some photos

...and then we were off to the reception on the Gateway Clipper. Most of Cat and Craig's guests were from out of town, so this was a great way for them to see more of the city as the boat cruised around the three rivers for a few hours. I love this shot that Jaci got of Cat right after Craig accidently got a little icing on her while they fed each other cake...it was an accident, right? ;)

love this image Jaci caught of Craig and his mom during the mother/ son dance.

Let's get this party started! It was a lively group of dancers. :)

Cat and Craig: So much fun! Thank you for treating us like friends and guests. Your wedding was ultra fun and it has totally been a pleasure to work with you guys. Hope you're having a relaxing honeymoon!

xo,
~k

Aishah and Adnan- Walima

June 6, 2008

Last Saturday the final installment of Aishah and Adnan's three day, two state wedding extravaganza took place at the Drake Hotel in Chicago. Once again, Jaci Clark, photographer extraordinaire, joined me as my second shooter. I must say, I was a little sad that the walima marked the end of the events for Aishah and Adnan's wedding. It's been a whirlwind of beautiful people, rich colors, intricate details, and lots and lots of dancing. :)

Some more fabulous accessories- love Aishah's Pedro Garcia shoes. That color is divine!

Not to be outdone- Adnan's accessories! Shoes by Ferragamo, cufflinks by Cartier, and watch by Rolex. (photo by Jaci)

Adnan with the bouquet (photo by Jaci)

Samaya Events did a fabulous job with planning and decor at the Drake.

During one of the speeches, there was a reference to the Ben Stiller movie Meet the Fockers, which struck Adnan's mom as funny.

Aishah and Adnan- it's been a pleasure getting to know you and your families over the last few weeks and months. Yours was the first Pakistani wedding I've photographed, and you've set the bar high. So much laughter, emotion, joy, tradition and love. I'm honored you chose me as your photographer.

Much love,
~k